Quotes

Thoughts from history for the 2010 LCMS Convention

On July 9, 2010, In Books, Issues, Etc, LCMS, Lutheran, Quotes, Seminary, by Rev. Tucher

As we as The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod prepare for our 2010 Convention, I think it is wise to remember words from J.A.O. Preus, the 9th president of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. These words come from his presidential report to the delegates of the 1977 Convention.

As a church we have been known and are still known as people who are vitally concerned that the Word of God be preached in its truth and purity, that the entire program be based upon God’s holy, inspired, inerrant, and powerful Word. The Word brings the church into being, and the Word is truly our rule and norm for faith and life in all the activities that we carry on. We cannot yield one jot or tittle of God’s holy Word. And the Word is the means for carrying out our mission. It is all we have. It is all we need.

We have emerged from a serious doctrinal controversy, in which we are probably the only Christian church in America and probably the only Lutheran Church in the world which seriously and earnestly confronted the issues raised by modern historical-critical methods of Biblical interpretation and honestly and forthrightly dealt with them…

The strength of our beloved Synod has always been a unique blend of concern for a pure doctrine which has brought about our strong confessional stance, coupled with the overwhelming desire to carry out the Great Commission. ¹

1) Quoted from A Seminary in Crisis by Paul A. Zimmerman, available from Concordia Publishing House.

HT: Issues, Etc – Web Extra: Profiles in Presidential Leadership in the LC-MS

True Pastoral Leadership

On November 5, 2009, In Lutheran, Quotes, Sermons, by Rev. Tucher

…The more the difficulties you face, the challenges, the crosses, these will make you the kind of leader, the kind of pastor the Lord would have you be — His own, after His own heart.

–Rev. Matthew Harrison

From a sermon preached at Concordia Seminary on Saint Michael and All Angels

Bonhoeffer on the Temptations of the Pastor

On September 28, 2009, In Devotion, Lutheran, Quotes, Treasury, by Rev. Tucher

I have to say that I haven’t been in God’s Word as much as I should be in recent months. I use a wonderful devotional entitled Treasury of Daily Prayer by Concordia Publishing House. I don’t really have an excuse. I could say that I’ve been busy, I’ve had too much going on, not enough time in a day, etc. There really is no good excuse. So tomorrow morning, I will get myself back into God’s Word. What good is a pastor if he is not in God’s Word as much as he can be? Here’s a wonderful quote from Bonhoeffer on the subject.

The life of the pastor completes itself in reading, meditation, prayer, and struggle. The means is the word of Scripture with which everything begins and to which everything returns. We read Scripture in order that our hearts may be moved. It will lead us into prayer for the church, for brothers and sisters in the faith, for our work, and for our own soul. Prayer leads us into the world in which we must keep the faith. Where Scripture, prayer, and keeping the faith exist, temptation will always find its way in. Temptation is the sign that our hearing, prayer, and faith have touched down in reality. There is no escape from temptation except by giving ourselves to renewed reading and meditation. So the circle is complete. We will not often be permitted to see the fruits of our labors; but through the joy of community with brothers and sisters who offer us spiritual care, we become certain of the proclamation and the ministry. –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Spiritual Care (Fortress Press, 1985), p. 69

HT: DOXOLOGY

Quote of the Day

On August 17, 2009, In Lutheran, Quotes, by Rev. Tucher

“Harmony in the Church cannot last unless pastors and churches mutually overlook and pardon many things.” – Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, paragraph 243

Quote of the Day

On July 29, 2009, In Books, Quotes, by Rev. Tucher

The following quote comes from the book, “Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it.”

Regardless of what’s happening in the Sunday school youth groups, pulpit, and Bible studies of your church, the responsibility for ministry to our kids has never been removed from the parents. It’s time to pick that ball up again and jump in the game.

Higher Things Sola quote

On July 13, 2009, In Higher Things, Lutheran, Quotes, by Rev. Tucher

I wasn’t at Higher Things recent conference, Sola. The more I read about it, the more I wish I was. Here is a quote that’s been floating around the Lutheran blogosphere and Twittersphere: “Walking on water with Jesus is not the big deal; drowning in water with Jesus is.” Wow, what a quote! I think I may have to use that in a sermon sometime soon.

Wonderful quote

On July 10, 2009, In Clergy, Lutheran, Quotes, by Rev. Tucher

When I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I had lots of time to do nothing while sitting on the plane. I had ordered a book just prior to my leaving, but couldn’t wait for it to arrive. Fortunately, there was an option of downloading the book in PDF form, so of course, I did. I printed it the day I left for my vacation and read the first 70 or so pages of it (it’s only 95 pages) before I touched down in Indy. I would have probably finished it on the flight, but I don’t think they would have liked it if I stuck around on the plane just to finish reading the last 20 pages.

What is the book you’re wondering? What is the quote you’re wondering? The book is entitled “I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression” by Rev. Todd Peperkorn.

The following is a quote from chapter eight of the book entitled “Forsaken.”

God’s Word does what it says. When you can’t “inwardly digest” the Word as you wish, it still does what our Lord promises. When confession is lost upon your lips, our Lord forgives your sins out of His mercy, for He will not let a sickness or weakness on your part deny you what you truly need, namely His healing Word of forgiveness. And when prayers is something that you used to do, the Spirit prays with you and for you, in ways that we cannot even fathom.

I think this is just a wonderful quote all around! It not only speaks about the sickness and disease of depression, but it speaks about the sickness and disease that we all face, that being of sin. Because of our sin, we can’t “inwardly digest” God’s Word. Because of sin, confession is the last thing that we want on our lips because if we confess, that means we did something wrong. Through all of our sin, God continues to be there. His Word continues to be there and His promise of grace through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ continues to be there.

Note: Soon I hope to have a review of this book posted. Watch for it in the future.

Quote of the day

On April 21, 2009, In Lutheran, Quotes, by Rev. Tucher

A pastor who serves in the South Wisconsin District has the following quote from Rev. Matthew Harrison during their pastor’s conference:

“We will never talk to one another about serious matters if we fail to show mercy and love toward one another.”

What it means to be ordained

On March 31, 2009, In Quotes, by Rev. Tucher

A fellow brother in the office who graduated three years from Concordia Theological Seminary before me has been posting quotes from Eugene Peterson’s book, The Contemplative Pastor. I have it on my shelf from a class that I took during my fourth year at the sem, but haven’t read it. Once he started posting quotes over on his blog, I pulled it off of my shelf and it’s now sitting on my desk, now one step closer into actually getting into my hands. Maybe I’ll pick it up following Easter.

Anywho, here’s the latest of his quotes regarding ordination.

“We are going to ordain you to this ministry, and we want your vow that you will stick to it. This is not a temporary job assignment but a way of life that we need lived out in our community. We know you are launched on the same difficult belief venture in the same dangerous world as we are. We know your emotions are as fickle as ours, and your mind is as tricky as ours. that is why we are going to ordain you and why we are going to exact a vow from you. We know there will be days and months, maybe even years, when we won’t feel like believing anything and won’t want to hear it from you. And we know there will be days and weeks and maybe even years when you won’t feel like saying it. It doesn’t matter. Do it. You are ordained to this ministry, vowed to it.”

“There may be times when we come to you as a committee or delegation and demand that you tell us something else than what we are telling you now. Promise right now that you won’t give in to what we demand of you. You are not the minister of our changing desires, or our time-conditioned understanding of our needs, or our secularized hopes for something better. With these vows of ordination we are lashing you fast to the mast of Word and sacrament so you will be unable to respond to the siren voices.”

“There are many other things to be done in this wrecked world, and we are going to be doing at least some of them, but if we don’t know the foundational realities with which we are dealing – God, kingdom, Gospel – we are going to end up living futile, fantasy lives. Your task is to keep telling the basic story, representing the presence of the Spirit, insisting on the priority of God, speaking the biblical words of command and promise and invitation.”

Rev. Jared C. Tucher

Thoughts from history for the 2010 LCMS Convention

True Pastoral Leadership

Bonhoeffer on the Temptations of the Pastor

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Higher Things Sola quote

Wonderful quote

Quote of the day

What it means to be ordained

Tweet, Tweet

Enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner

Enter your email address:Delivered by FeedBurner

Enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner